Hurricane Ian: Waves inundate roads in Key West as storm upgrades to Category 4
Hurricane Ian, one of the most powerful storms on record in the United States, slammed into southwest Florida on Wednesday, turning streets into rivers and knocking out power to 2.25 million people.
Damaging waves pounded the southwest coast from Englewood to Bonita Beach, including Charlotte Harbor, near the town of Punta Gorda, north of Fort Myers. As Ian crosses Florida in the next 24 hours, 12 to 18 inches of rain are expected over the coastal surges.
A coastal sheriff’s office reported receiving calls from people trapped in flooded homes. Several took to social media, sharing videos of debris-covered water heading towards their homes as they begged for rescue.
Storm surge flooded a lower-level emergency room in Port Charlotte, while part of the roof of a fourth-floor intensive care unit was demolished by high winds, according to a doctor who worked there .
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis urged Floridians to hunker down, noting it would be a “nasty” few days.
Some Florida residents evacuate art collections as Hurricane Ian threatens the state
ICYMI: Florida residents are taking action to protect collections worth millions as the storm makes landfall in the state.
Some Florida residents evacuate art collections as Hurricane Ian threatens the state
Florida residents take action to protect collections worth millions as storm makes landfall in state
Graeme MassieSeptember 29, 2022 10:03 am
Satellite captures stunning views of Hurricane Ian 22,000 miles away as the storm batters Florida
ICYMI: As huge Hurricane Ian began to hit the Florida coast, Noaa’s satellite kept the storm in its sights.
Jon Kelvey has the story.
Satellite captures stunning views of Hurricane Ian as storm rolls over Florida
As huge Hurricane Ian began to hit the Florida coast, Noaa’s satellite kept the storm in its sights
Graeme MassieSeptember 29, 2022 9:05 a.m.
Hurricane Ian: in pictures
Namita SingSeptember 29, 2022 08:20
ICYMI: Dramatic time-lapse shows storm surge from Hurricane Ian inundated Florida island
Dramatic time-lapse reveals Hurricane Ian flooded Florida island
Graeme MassieSeptember 29, 2022 07:59
What leaks, hurricanes and fires mean for the launch date of NASA’s Artemis I lunar mission
As if launching a gigantic moon rocket for the first time wasn’t difficult enough on its own, NASA has faced multiple fuel leaks, engine problems, and now a building fire and a hurricane of category 4 in its attempt to launch the Artemis I mission before the end of the year.
As Nasa’s Space Launch System (SLS) moon rocket and Orion spacecraft await Hurricane Ian inside the Vehicle Assembly Building – essentially a giant rocket hangar – at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, an attempted launch that had been scheduled for Tuesday could now slip into mid-October or even early November.
Nasa’s Artemis I mission will be the first test flight of the SLS rocket, which will send the solar-powered Orion spacecraft on a month-long journey to, around, and back from the Moon in a shake down without crew of the rocket and spacecraft system that NASA houses will bring humans back to the surface of the Moon in 2025.
Learn more in this report Jon Kelvey:
What leaks, hurricanes and fires mean for the launch date of NASA’s Artemis I lunar mission
Faced with natural disasters and technical obstacles, NASA hopes to pause and launch a new lunar mission in October
Namita SingSeptember 29, 2022 07:45
Experts: Negative storm surge in Tampa Bay as Ian approaches
Water poured out of Tampa Bay on Wednesday as Hurricane Ian approached the Gulf Coast of Florida.
The storm eventually made landfall near Fort Myers, about 100 miles to the south.
A number of people posted pictures on social media of themselves and others walking on the bay’s loamy, sandy soil, despite warnings from local authorities. Tampa Bay has a normal average deputy of about 12 feet (4 meters).
The bay draining phenomenon also happened in 2017, when experts said Hurricane Irma caused a negative surge. Because the winds of a tropical storm blow counterclockwise, the winds at the northern end of Hurricane Ian blew from east to west with such force that they pushed water from the bay into the Gulf of Mexico.
The water eventually filled the bay.
Namita SingSeptember 29, 2022 07:25
Naples Fire Department live streams water rescue
ICYMI: In the video, posted on the department’s social media, a group of lifeguards helped a woman through deep water on a city street and to safety in a partially flooded building.
“I’ll take you there with me as long as I can swim there.” This water is cold,” said a firefighter who was filming the rescue.
The grateful resident can be heard thanking the firefighters at the end of the video.
Graeme MassieSeptember 29, 2022 07:05
More than 2.25 million customers without power in Florida
As of 1:57 a.m. ET, approximately 2,250,000 customers are currently without power in Florida due to Hurricane Ian, according to poweroutage.us.
Namita SingSeptember 29, 2022 07:05
People trapped, hospital damaged after Ian floods South Florida
Hurricane Ian left a path of destruction in southwest Florida, trapping people in flooded homes, damaging the roof of a hospital intensive care unit and knocking out power to two million people before aiming for the Atlantic coast.
One of the strongest hurricanes to ever hit the United States crossed the Florida peninsula overnight Wednesday, threatening catastrophic flooding inland, the National Hurricane Center has warned.
In Port Charlotte, along Florida’s Gulf Coast, storm surge flooded a lower-level emergency room at a hospital even as high winds ripped off part of the roof of its intensive care unit , according to a doctor who works there.
Water gushed over the ICU, forcing staff to evacuate the hospital’s sickest patients — some of whom were on ventilators — to other floors, said Dr. Birgit Bodine of HCA Florida Fawcett Hospital. . Staff members used towels and plastic bins to try and mop up the soggy mess.
People trapped, hospital damaged after Ian floods southwest Florida
Hurricane Ian left a path of destruction in southwest Florida, trapping people in flooded homes, damaging the roof of a hospital intensive care unit and knocking out power to 2 million people
Namita SingSeptember 29, 2022 06:40
Lara Trump sparks anger after sharing video of her son driving a toy car outdoors during Hurricane Ian
Lara Trump has sparked anger and concern after posting a video of her five-year-old son driving his toy car outside amid heavy rain from Hurricane Ian.
The 39-year-old television producer, who lives in Florida with her husband Eric Trump, shared the video of the couple’s son, Eric Luke Trump, on her Instagram account on Wednesday. Trump and his wife also share a three-year-old daughter, Carolina Dorothy Trump.
In the video, Trump’s son, who is named Luke, could be seen driving his toy car down the middle of the street as rain from the category four storm poured down. As he steered the vehicle, he held a hand over his eyes in an effort to shield his face from the rain.
My colleague Amber Raiken reports:
Lara Trump sparks anger after sharing video of her son outdoors during Hurricane Ian
“It’s a terrible idea for an adult to be outside during this mighty storm, let alone small children,” one onlooker said.
Namita SingSeptember 29, 2022 06:20